The state is part of the institutional subsystem of the political system, which is a set of political organizations (institutions), which include the state, non-governmental organizations (political parties, socio-political movements) and some other organizations (for example, interest clubs, sports societies).

The state is a political institution whose immediate purpose is to exercise or influence power.

The role of the state in the political system of society is great. Since political relations are associated with private and general interests, they often cause conflicts, therefore a special mechanism is needed that would support and strengthen relations in society. The state is such a force that unites a society divided into layers, groups, classes.

The state has the broadest social base and expresses the interests of the bulk of the population.

It is the state that is the only political organization that has a special apparatus of control and coercion and extends its will to all members of society.

The state has a wide range of means of influencing its citizens and material resources that allow them to ensure the implementation of their policies.

Only the state establishes the legal basis for the functioning of the entire PS and direct prohibitions on the work of certain public organizations, adopts laws establishing the procedure for the creation and activities of other political organizations, etc.

The state plays an integrating role within the PS, being the main core of the PS.

The state is the concentrated expression and embodiment of society, its official representative.

Civil society: concept, elements. Mutual responsibilities of the state and citizens in civil society.

Civil society is a system of extra-state social relations and institutions that enables a person to realize his civil rights and expresses the diverse needs, interests and values ​​of members of society.

1. Political parties.
2. Socio-political organizations and movements (environmental, anti-war, human rights, etc.).
3. Entrepreneurs' unions, consumer associations, charitable foundations.
4. Scientific and cultural organizations, sports societies.
5. Municipal communes, voter associations, political clubs.
6. Independent media.
7. Church.
8. Family.

Signs of modern civil society:

• the presence in society of free owners of the means of production;
• development and ramifications of democracy;
• legal protection of citizens;
• a certain level of civic culture.

Civil society operates based on a number of principles:

Equality of rights and freedoms of all people in the political sphere;

Guaranteed legal protection rights and freedoms of citizens based on laws that have legal force throughout the world community;

Economic independence of individuals, based on the right of everyone to own property or receive fair remuneration for honest work;

The opportunity for citizens to unite into public associations independent of the state and parties based on interests and professional characteristics, guaranteed by law;

Freedom of citizens to form parties and civil movements;

Creation of the necessary material and other conditions for the development of science, culture, education and upbringing of citizens, forming them as free, cultural, morally pure and socially active members of society, responsible before the law;

Freedom to create and operate the media outside of state censorship, limited only by law;

The existence of a mechanism that stabilizes relations between the state and civil society (consensus mechanism), and ensuring the security of the functioning of the latter by government bodies.

This mechanism, formal or informal, includes legislative acts, democratic elections of people's representatives to various government bodies, institutions of self-government, etc.

Civil society and the state are connected to each other by a number of structural connections, since the state, carrying out managerial and intermediary functions in public life, cannot help but come into contact with civil values ​​and institutions, since the latter, through a system of horizontal connections, seem to cover all social relations. In addition, a number of social elements and institutions occupy a marginal position, partly intertwined with government structures, and partly with civil society.

An example here could be, say, the currently ruling political party, which emerged from the depths of civil society, but at the same time is closely connected in its activities with the state apparatus. Thus, the state and civil society are inextricably linked with each other and constitute two parts of a single social organism.

1. The concepts of “civil society” and “state” characterize different, but internally interconnected, mutually reinforcing aspects (elements) of global society, society as a single organism. These concepts are correlative; they can be contrasted only in certain aspects. Civil life is, to one degree or another, permeated by the phenomenon of the political, and the political is not isolated from the civil.

2. The distinction between civil society and the state, which are components of the global whole, is a naturally logical process that characterizes the progress of the socio-economic and spiritual spheres, on the one hand, and the political sphere of life, on the other.

3. Civil society is the fundamental basis of the political system; it determines and determines the state. In turn, the state as an institution is a system of institutions and norms that provide the conditions for the existence and functioning of civil society.

4. Civil society is not a collection of autonomous individuals whose law of life is anarchy. This is a form of community of people, a set of associations and other organizations that ensure the joint material and spiritual life of citizens and the satisfaction of their needs and interests. The state is the official expression of civil society, its political existence. Civil society is the sphere of manifestation and implementation of individual, group, and regional interests. The state is the sphere of expression and protection of common interests. The needs of civil society inevitably pass through the will of the state in order to gain universal significance in the form of laws. The state will is determined by the needs and interests of civil society.

5. The more developed civil society is in the sense of the progress of the initiative of its members, the diversity of associations designed to express and protect the individual and group interests of people, the greater the scope for the development of democracy in the state. At the same time, the more democratic the political system, the wider the opportunities for the development of civil society to the highest form of unification of people and their free individual and collective life.

Civil society at the modern level of human civilization is a society with developed economic, cultural, legal, and political relations between individuals, groups and communities that are not mediated by the state.

Rule of law: concept, principles, prerequisites for formation in the Russian Federation.

The rule of law is a special form of organization of political power in society, in which natural human rights are recognized and guaranteed, the division of state power is actually carried out, the supremacy of the rule of law and the mutual responsibility of the citizen to the state and the state to the citizen are ensured.

The rule of law is one of the significant achievements of human civilization.

Its fundamental qualities are:

• 1) recognition and protection of human and civil rights and freedoms;
• 2) the rule of law;
• 3) organization and functioning of sovereign state power based on the principle of separation of powers.

The idea of ​​establishing law (or law) in public life has its roots in antiquity - to the period in human history when the first states arose. After all, in order to streamline social relations with the help of law, the state had to constitute itself through legislation, that is, determine the legal foundations of state power.

(Aristotle , Plato): The state is the most feasible and fair form of communication between people, in which the law is binding on both citizens and the state.

Signs of a rule of law state:

• - limitation of state power by the rights and freedoms of man and citizen (the government recognizes the inalienable rights of a citizen);
• - the rule of law in all spheres of public life;
• - constitutional and legal regulation of the principle of separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial;
• - presence of a developed civil society;
• - legal form of relationship (mutual rights and obligations, mutual responsibility) of the state and citizen;
• - the rule of law in the legal system;
• - compliance of domestic legislation with generally accepted norms and principles international law ;
• - direct effect of the constitution.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation sets the task of building a legal state (Article 1) and enshrines all the fundamental principles of legal statehood.

Specific (enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation):

• 1. Priority of individual interests - principle of humanism(Article 2)
• 2. Sovereignty of the people and principles of democracy(ch 1,2 art 3)
• 3. Principle separation authorities(v. 10)
• 4. The principle of judicial independence (Part 1 of Article 120)
• 5. Subordination of the state to law (Part 2 of Article 15)
• 6. Proclamation of the inviolability of human rights by the state and the establishment of the basic mechanism of guarantees, human rights and freedoms (Chapter 2, Article 17)
• 7. Priority of the norms of international law over the norms of national law (Part 4 of Article 15)
• 8. The principle of the supremacy of the Constitution in relation to other laws and regulations (Part 1 of Article 15)
• 9. The principle of responsibility of the state and the individual.

Legal status of the individual: elements, characteristics.

Under legal status is understood as a set of rights and freedoms, duties and responsibilities of an individual, establishing his legal position in society.

1. The procedure for its acquisition and loss.

Russian legislation connects the possibility of realizing legal status with the concept of legal personality - the opportunity and ability through one’s actions to acquire rights and bear responsibilities, as well as to be the subject of legal liability.

The concept of legal personality includes three elements:

Legal capacity (the ability to acquire rights and bear responsibilities);

Legal capacity (the ability to exercise rights and bear responsibilities through one’s actions);

- tort(opportunity and ability to take responsibility for one’s actions).

Moreover, if legal capacity belongs to all individuals located on the territory of Russia, then the legal capacity of some of them may be limited or absent altogether.

In Part 2 of Art. 17 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states that fundamental human rights and freedoms are inalienable and belong to everyone from birth. In addition, the acquisition of the status of a Russian citizen may be associated with the result of admission to citizenship, restoration of citizenship, or other grounds provided for by the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” or an international treaty of Russia.

The loss of a person's legal personality occurs with the moment of his death. Loss legal personality a citizen can occur either with his death or as a result of his loss of such status.

Russian citizenship is terminated:

Due to renunciation of Russian citizenship;

On other grounds provided for by Federal Law or an international treaty of the Russian Federation (for example, option - choice of another citizenship due to a change in the State border of the Russian Federation).

2. Rights and obligations.

Subjective rights- a measure of a person’s possible behavior guaranteed by the state, the most important element of its constitutional status.

Responsibilities- the type and measure of proper (required) behavior. They mean expedient, socially necessary behavior of a person in society.

The rights and responsibilities set out patterns and standards of behavior that the state takes under protection, considering them mandatory, useful, and appropriate for the normal functioning of the social system; the basic legal principles of the relationship between the state and the individual are revealed.

a type of society characterized by a high degree of self-determination of individuals and the presence of self-government in the form of various organizations and associations, due to which the rights of the individual are reliably protected in it, and the state serves as the protector and guarantor of these rights.

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CIVIL SOCIETY

certain societies. system, organization of family, estates or classes, the official expression of which is political. system based on a developed system of civil law. O.g. idea clearly not sufficiently developed in modern sociological studies. theories, which runs counter to the needs of practice, with quite frequent appeal to O.G. political and societies. figures, everyone who is concerned about the fate of man, improving his living conditions in the modern world. Until now, that theoretical work remains almost unclaimed. potential, which is assigned to the concept of O.g. in the history of sociology and philosophy. Thus, Aristotle refers to this concept in his works and gives it his own interpretation. Serious importance is attached to O.G. in Hegel's concept of the development of history. It is Hegel who gives a relatively complete explanation of the need to remove a huge area of ​​societies from under the arbitrary control of the state and structures. life - property connections, relationships and processes to ensure human freedom and independence in this area. In other words, Hegel differentiates the concepts of political. sphere and civil society, believing that the latter for a person is a sphere of free autonomy, protecting him from the encroachments of official institutionalized bodies. In this dilution, the anti-feudal thrust of the idea of ​​OG is clearly visible, which is caused by the need to “pave the way” for the bourgeoisie with theoretical means. society order, unthinkable without the freedom of the human commodity producer. The founders of Marxism, developing the idea of ​​OG, proceeded from the premise that “liberation” is historical. case. They considered the problem of O.G. from a materialistic point of view. understanding of history, believing that the path to the liberation of man lies through the creation of highly developed productive forces, overcoming his alienation from the means of production, turning him into the owner of these means, establishing social. equality and justice in relations between people. As the events of the 20th century showed, the idea of ​​O.g. not only has it not become obsolete, but, on the contrary, has become unusually acute. The danger of human enslavement has emerged, and the source of this danger is the exorbitantly expanded power of political and state structures, their expansionist claims, extending not only to the economy. relationships, but also to all other areas of human activity, including the area of ​​spiritual culture. The repressiveness of these structures has a particularly difficult impact on the lives of people in countries where totalitarian regimes and administrative-command order prevail, where an authoritarian style of relations develops between the holders of power and ordinary members of society. On the relevance of the idea of ​​O.g. This is also evidenced by the ongoing search in all civilized countries for optimal interaction between governments and societies. and actually economical. regulators of people's behavior and activities. Sociologists, as well as representatives of other societies. sciences, are included in the work of defining a strategy that makes it possible to carry out, in the words of Marx, “the reverse absorption of state power by society, when the forces subjugating and enslaving society are replaced by its own living forces” (Marx K, Engels F. Works. T. 17. P. 548). But this “reverse absorption” is a long process. It includes the transformation of the economy, social. relations, reforms in the field of education, upbringing and culture; in general, it involves the involvement of the person himself in this process as a free-thinking and freely acting individual. In principle O.g. as a sphere of human initiative, it should be free from arbitrary interference by the state and authorities. Lit.: Hegel G.V.F. Philosophy of law // Op. T. 7. M., L., 1934; Marx K., Engels F. Feuerbach. The contrast between materialistic and idealistic views. New publication of the first chapter of "German Ideology". M., 1966. A.D. Naletova.

Great definition

Incomplete definition ↓

Social science. A complete course of preparation for the Unified State Exam Shemakhanova Irina Albertovna

4.6. Civil society and the state

Civil society – 1) a set of non-state, non-political relations: economic, social, family, national, spiritual, cultural and creative, moral, religious; 2) social, economic and cultural space, the industrial and private lives of people, their customs, mores, traditions that are outside the sphere of state and political control and intervention.

In a broad sense, civil society includes all social structures and relationships that are not directly regulated by the state. In a narrow sense, it is a society at a certain stage of its development, when it acts as the socio-economic basis of a democratic and legal state.

Evolution of the concept of “civil society”

– liberal interpretation (T. Hobbes, J. Locke): the concept of “civil society” was introduced to reflect the level of historical development of human society from natural to civilized existence;

– positive liberal interpretation (G. Hegel) argues that the basis of civil society is private property, and the driving force of historical progress is the state, which ensures justice, protects people from accidents, and realizes the universality of interests;

– Marxist concept (K. Marx, F. Engels) represents civil society as the foundation of human society, and the life activity of individuals as a decisive factor in historical development;

– social democratic tradition believes that the state must participate in ensuring the functioning of civil institutions, must necessarily regulate economic, social and other processes, introduce guarantees of a living wage, etc.

Civil society – the most perfect form of human community, including voluntarily formed communities of people, confessional (religious) communities as structural elements; centers, clubs, foundations, media, movements, political parties.

Signs of civil society: economic freedom and private property; social stability and guarantees; ensuring human rights and freedoms; self-governance and civic engagement; competition and pluralism; freedom of information and public opinion; tolerance and openness; legitimacy of power; existence of a rule of law state.

Prerequisites for the formation of civil society

Legislative consolidation of the legal equality of people on the basis of vesting them with rights and freedoms;

Legal freedom of a person, his material well-being, freedom of private enterprise, the presence of private property;

Creation of mechanisms of self-development and self-regulation, formation of a sphere of non-power relations of free individuals who have the ability and real opportunity to exercise their natural rights, freedom of political choice, and act as the only legitimate source of power.

In civil society, it is not vertical (hierarchical), but horizontal connections that predominate - relations of competition and solidarity between legally free and equal partners.

Structural elements of civil society:

A) In the economic sphere - non-state enterprises: cooperatives, partnerships, joint-stock companies, companies, corporations, associations and other voluntary economic associations of citizens created by them on their own initiative.

B) In the socio-political sphere: classes, various strata and social groups, the family as a social unit of civil society; public, socio-political, political parties and movements expressing the diversity of interests of various groups of civil society; public authorities at the place of residence and work; a mechanism for identifying, forming and expressing public opinion, as well as resolving social conflicts; non-state media.

C) In the spiritual sphere: cultural, ethical ideals and values, freedom of thought, speech, real opportunities to publicly express one’s opinion; autonomy and independence of scientific, creative and other associations from government agencies.

D) The political and legal basis of civil society is formed by political pluralism, the presence of legal opposition, and democratic legislation.

Civil society gives priority to human rights and freedoms, improving the quality of his life: recognition of the natural human right to life, free activity and happiness; recognition of the equality of citizens within a uniform framework for all laws; establishment of a rule-of-law state that subordinates its activities to the law; creating equality of opportunity for all subjects of economic and socio-political activity.

Main functions of civil society:

1) encourages a person to comply with generally accepted norms, ensures socialization and education of citizens;

2) protects citizens and associations created by them from illegal interference in their life activities;

3) contributes to the formation of democratic government bodies, the democratic development of the entire political system.

The relationship between civil society and the state depends crucially on the type of political regime: under a totalitarian regime, the state, controlling all spheres and levels of life in society, leaves almost no space for civil society; under an authoritarian regime, civil society exists, but in an undeveloped form and in a limited social space; a democratic regime within the framework of the constitutional order creates conditions both for the functioning and development of a mature civil society and for the rule of law.

* Mandatory conditions for the existence of civil society are: the presence of a rule of law, the principle of separation of powers, subordination to the law of the state itself and its bodies, the delimitation of powers of state and non-state institutions. A constitutional, or legal, state differs from an extra-legal, or police state, mainly in that the relationship between society and the state is established through legislation.

* Without a mature civil society, the creation of a rule-of-law state is impossible, since only free citizens with a high political culture are able to form the most rational forms of human coexistence.

Constitutional state - a form of organization of political power in the country, based on the supremacy of the rule of law, human and civil rights and freedoms. At the same time, law plays a priority role only if it acts as a measure of freedom for everyone, if existing laws really serve the interests of the people and the state, and their implementation is the embodiment of justice.

Signs of a rule of law state:

1. The undivided supremacy of legal law in state and public life:

a) a legal law, adopted either by the highest representative body of state power or by the direct expression of the will of the population (for example, in a referendum), forms the basis of the entire system of law and has the greatest legal force.

b) priority of law: legal law applies to all spheres of public life, all elements that make up society, and all citizens without exception. In case of violation of regulations, the perpetrators are punished as prescribed by law.

c) legal law applies to society and the state itself. It limits and binds the activities of state bodies and officials within strictly established limits of competence and does not allow any exit from them. This prevents arbitrariness, permissiveness and abuse of power in government affairs.

d) legal law regulates key issues of state and public life, preventing the priority of group interests. Officially, the rule of law is primarily reflected in the country's constitution.

2. Recognition of inalienable, inviolable, inviolable rights and freedoms for the individual, mutual responsibility of the state and the individual.

3. Organization and functioning of state power based on the principle of separation of powers. The powers of the various branches of government in society must be balanced through a system of checks and balances that prevent the establishment of dangerous one-sidedness in governance.

4. Equality of all before the law.

5. The reality of human rights and freedoms, their legal and social protection.

6. Recognition of human rights and freedoms as the highest value.

7. Political and ideological pluralism.

8. Stability of law and order in society.

Basic principles of functioning of the rule of law

1. Priority of law: consideration of all issues of public and state life from the standpoint of law; the combination of universal moral and legal values ​​(reasonableness, justice) and formal regulatory values ​​of law (normativity, equality of all before the law) with the organizational and territorial division of society and legitimate public power; the need for ideological and legal justification for any decisions of state and public bodies; the presence in the state of the forms and procedures necessary for the expression and operation of law.

2. Legal protection of a person and a citizen: equality of the parties and mutual responsibility of the state and citizen; special type of legal regulation and form of legal relations; stable legal status of a citizen and a system of legal guarantees for its implementation.

3. Unity of law and law.

4. Legal differentiation of the activities of various branches of government.

5. Rule of law.

6. Constitutional and legal control.

7. Political pluralism, etc.

A legal state arises where society has strong democratic, legal, political, and cultural traditions, i.e., where civil society exists. The formation of a rule-of-law state requires a high level of general and legal culture. The rule of law requires a strong economic basis, high standards of living and the dominance of the middle class in the social structure of society; presupposes a certain level of individual and public morality. One of the main prerequisites for the formation of a rule of law state is the presence of civil society institutions.

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book Social Studies. A complete course of preparation for the Unified State Exam author Shemakhanova Irina Albertovna

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The content of the article

CIVIL SOCIETY. The concept of civil society has a long and complex history. It came into use in the 17th and 18th centuries, and its main meaning was that the community of citizens should have its own laws and not depend on the gross arbitrariness of the state. Historically, this concept goes back to the family of Latin words civis, civilic, civitas (citizen, civil, city, state), which are associated with such aspects of civil society as citizenship, civic duties and virtues, and civilized behavior.

Problems with definition.

The main problem in trying to define civil society arises from the fact that civil society has two different aspects, social and political. From the time of Aristotle until Locke, these two spheres were considered in an inseparable unity. It was as if civil society as such did not exist at all. The community, the state, koinonia, civitas were a single social and political whole. Societies were political societies, and this was still the case in 1690 when John Locke wrote his Second treatise on government. One of its chapters is entitled “On Political and Civil Society.” Locke believed that society in this sense differs from the state of nature; it differs significantly from the community of spouses and family. Moreover, civil society is incompatible with an absolute monarchy. At the same time, it is a political entity (“body”); for Locke, the social contract and the contract between citizens and the state are one and the same.

A century later, the terminology has changed. In the work of Adam Ferguson Experience in the history of civil society(1767) notes the gap between the political and social spheres. Around the same time, J. Madison, in his articles in The Federalist, emphasized the role of civil society as a counterbalance to the arbitrariness of the state. He believed that a guarantee against the tyranny of the majority is the presence in society of various groups with divergent interests. In this sense, civil society is the guardian of human rights.

In the 19th and 20th centuries. By civil society, many began to understand simply the human community; others saw in it an element of political organization. It is interesting that some saw civil society as a source of support for the existing political system, while others saw it as a center of opposition. Thus, in the Anglo-Saxon world, civil society and the state were usually considered complementary, rather than hostile, forces, which is why the concept of civil society lost its specific meaning there. In many European countries, civil society was understood as a source of opposition to the state, since there the activities of the state were reduced to the latter’s intervention in the private and corporate lives of citizens.

In both cases, civil societies are characterized by three features. First, the presence of multiple associations or, more generally, centers of social power. In this sense, civil society is incompatible with a rigid, autocratic state machine. Secondly, the relative independence of these centers of social power. Because of their ability to self-organize, these centers of power resist state control. And thirdly, a sense of civic responsibility, as well as civilized behavior and active citizenship, are all necessary elements of a truly civil society.

One of the most important differences between countries reveals the answer to the question: which came first - the state or civil society? In the United States, civil society clearly preceded the state. The point of the Federalist articles was to justify at least the minimal elements of the federal, i.e. central, board. In England, too, civil society arose before there was an effective central government. This is also true for some other European countries, such as Switzerland. However, in other countries, especially France and Spain, and later Portugal, the state took root first, and civil society had to win its rights in the fight against a state that did not want to give up power, albeit sometimes an enlightened one.

Lord Dahrendorf

Civil society- This:

1) the sphere of self-expression of free citizens and voluntarily formed associations and organizations, protected by relevant laws from direct interference and arbitrary regulation by government authorities;

2) a set of non-political relations, that is, social relations outside the framework of government and state structures.

History of the formation of civil society

The difficulties in the formation of civil society are evidenced by the history of the development of its concept in Western socio-political thought.

Thinkers on the essence of civil society:

Thinker	Key Ideas
T. Hobbes, English philosopher	Civil society is a union of individuals, a collective in which all its members acquire the highest human qualities. The state prevails over civil society.
J. Locke, English philosopher	Civil society is a political society, that is, a public sphere in which the state has its own interests.
C. Montesquieu, French philosopher	Civil society is a society of hostility between people, which is transformed into a state to stop it.
T. Payne, American educator	Civil society is a blessing, and the state is an inevitable evil. The more perfect a civil society is, the more self-regulated it is and the less it needs regulation by the state.
G. Hegel, German philosopher	Civil society is the sphere of realization of especially private goals and interests of an individual. There is no genuine freedom in civil society, since there is always a contradiction between private interests and power, which is of a universal nature. Civil society itself is unable to cope with its problems. Priority belongs to the state, which is able to integrate disparate interests into an integral society of citizens.
K. Marx, F. Engels, German economists and sociologists	Civil society is the sphere of material, economic life and activity of people. It is this that is primary in relation to the state; civil life, as the sum of various interests, holds the state together.

Structure of civil society

The structure of civil society includes various communities of people:

Political parties and lobbying (from the English lobby - sidelines, corridor) organizations (committees, commissions, councils) created under government agencies.

Socio-political organizations and movements (environmental, anti-war, human rights, etc.).

Entrepreneurs' unions, consumer associations, charitable foundations, cooperatives, rental collectives, joint-stock companies.

Scientific and cultural organizations, sports societies.

Municipal communes and other self-government bodies at the place of residence and work, voter associations, political clubs.

Independent media.

Relations between components of society that are non-state and non-political in nature (family ties, professional, economic, religious and other relations).

A special space for the free expression of people, which is protected from interference by the state and other forces.

The relationship between civil society and the state

Linescomparisons	Civil society	State
Realized interests	Everyday interests of individuals.	Public interests of social groups, classes, ethnic groups.
Means of implementation	Belief, legal and moral norms, traditions, customs, art, etc.	Constitution, power, coercion, law, etc.
Connections and relationships between people	The predominance of horizontal connections based on relations of solidarity and competition.	The predominance of vertical connections based on relations of dominance and subordination.
The basis	A free individual with inalienable rights and non-political organizations (consumer associations, cooperatives, sports societies, churches, etc.) through which he realizes them.	Political institutions, authorities, leaders, elite, etc.

Functions of civil society:

Regardless of the state, it has the means and sanctions with which to force a person to comply with generally accepted norms that ensure the socialization and education of citizens.

Protects citizens and their associations, interests and needs from illegal interference in their lives by the state and its bodies, protects individual rights and freedoms, and defines the boundaries of politics.

Contributes to the formation of state bodies, democratic and humanistic development of the entire political system of society.

Civil society acts as the necessary democratic layer between the individual and the state,preventing the latter from usurping power.

QUESTIONS:

1. Find a concept that is generalizing for all other concepts in the series below, and write down the number under which it is indicated.

1) scientific organization; 2) civil society; 3) joint stock company; 4) sports society; 5) environmental movement.

2. What meaning do social scientists give to the concept of “civil society”? Using knowledge from your social studies course, write two sentences containing information about civil society.

1. The meaning of the concept, for example: civil society is the sphere of self-determination of free citizens and voluntarily formed associations and organizations, protected by relevant laws from direct interference and arbitrary regulation by government authorities. (Another, similar definition may be given.)

2. Two sentences with information about the political regime based on knowledge of the course, for example:

1) “Civil society emerged at a certain stage of historical development, primarily of Western civilization”;

2) “The process of formation of civil society was not only an economic, social, political, but also a sociocultural and spiritual transformation.”

Any other proposals containing information about the political regime can be drawn up.

3. Name any three institutions of civil society in modern Russia and give examples of their activities.

The following institutions can be named and examples of their activities can be given:

1) public organizations - a committee of soldiers’ mothers, which monitors the observance of the rights of soldiers serving in the army;

2) trade unions - independent trade union of miners of Russia;

3) independent media - radio station "Echo of Moscow", which gives the floor to representatives of a wide variety of political movements.

4. You have been instructed to prepare a detailed answer on the topic “Civil Society”. Make a plan according to which you will cover this topic. The plan must contain at least three points, of which two or more are detailed in sub-points.

One of the options for a plan for covering this topic:

1. The concept of civil society.

2. Prerequisites for the emergence of civil society:

a) economic;

b) political and legal;

c) social;

d) cultural.

3. Structure of civil society:

a) political parties and movements;

b) public organizations;

in church;

d) trade unions;

e) independent media.

4. Functions of civil society.

5. The relationship between civil society and the rule of law.

6. Prospects for the development of civil society in modern Russia.

A different number and (or) other correct wording of points and sub-points of the plan is possible.

5. (1−4). Read the text and complete tasks 1−4.

“Democracy is essentially a means, a utilitarian device for protecting social peace and personal freedom. As such, it is not flawless, not reliable in itself. It should also not be forgotten that often in history the flowering of cultural and spiritual freedom has occurred during periods of authoritarian rule rather than democracy, and that rule by a homogeneous, dogmatic majority can make democracy more intolerable than the worst dictatorship.

It has become fashionable to point out that democracy is under threat, and there is some danger in this. Hence comes the erroneous and unfounded belief that as long as the highest power in the country belongs to the will of the majority, this is a sure remedy against arbitrariness. The opposite statement would be no less erroneous: it is not the source of power, but its limitation that is a reliable remedy against arbitrariness. Democratic control can prevent a government from becoming a dictatorship, but it takes work. If democracy solves its problems with the help of power not limited by firmly established rules, it inevitably degenerates into despotism.

When the government must determine how many pigs to raise, or how many buses to run on the country's roads, which coal mines should be kept in operation, or how much shoes to sell in stores, all such decisions cannot be derived from formal rules or made once and for all or for a long period. They inevitably depend on circumstances that change very quickly. And when making decisions of this kind, one must always keep in mind the complex balance of interests of various individuals and groups. In the end, someone finds reasons to prefer some interests over others. These grounds become part of the legislation. This is how privileges are born, inequality arises, imposed by the government apparatus...

The state must limit itself to developing general rules applicable in situations of a certain type, giving individuals freedom in everything related to the circumstances of place and time, for only individuals can fully know these circumstances and adapt their actions to them. And in order for individuals to consciously make plans, they must be able to foresee government actions that can influence these plans” (F. Hayek).

1. What role, in the author’s opinion, should the state play in regulating public life in a democracy? Why should individuals be otherwise free?

2 . What three threats to democracy did the author name?

3. Based on the text, personal experience and facts of public life, give three specific examples of the “firmly established rules” of democracy that prevent it from degenerating into a dictatorship.

1) “The state should limit itself to developing general rules applicable in situations of a certain type”;

2) “...only individuals can fully know these circumstances (place and time) and adapt their actions to them.”

2. Three threats to democracy:

1) “rule of a homogeneous, dogmatic majority”;

2) power “not limited by firmly established rules”;

3) the existence of privileges among individual members of society, inequality.

3. Three specific examples of “firmly established rules” of democracy that prevent it from degenerating into dictatorship:

1) “democratic control”;

2) “the development by the state of general rules applicable in situations of a certain type”;

3) “providing individuals with freedom in everything related to the circumstances of place and time”;

4) recognition of the people as the source of power;

5) equality of citizens;

6) participation of citizens in government;

7) election of the main state authorities;

8) respect for minority rights.

Three arguments:

1) in a democratic country, the branches of government are controlled by society;

2) in a democracy, political and ideological pluralism is ensured;

3) thanks to the separation of powers, a citizen can be protected from arbitrariness on the part of the state.

Other arguments may be given.

Civil society - This:

the sphere of self-expression of free citizens and voluntarily formed associations and organizations, protected by relevant laws from direct interference and arbitrary regulation by government authorities;

a set of non-political relations, that is, social relations outside the framework of government and state structures.

Constitutional state - a type of democratic state, the political regime of which is based on strict adherence to the rule of law, legal norms that enshrine the natural, inalienable, universal rights and freedoms of man and peoples.

Prerequisites for the emergence of civil society

QUESTIONS:

1. (1−6). Read the text and complete tasks 1−6.

There are people who want to be led because of a passive and deferential character, or a character that selfishly expects the benefits that flow from obedience or from providing support to recognized authorities. Further, there are many people who generally
have no taste for participation in public life or lack the inclination, need or opportunity
engage in public affairs, remain indifferent to them and deliberately want to isolate themselves from them in order to avoid the well-known unpleasant aspects of participation in public life. Finally, there is a natural physical and spiritual inequality of abilities, intelligence and talent, which themselves dictate the choice for the leadership of an organized society and determine the leadership that society needs and its correct organization<…>

The cardinal requirement of democracy is that not only leaders, but also the led masses themselves, when participating in discussions, criticism, elections and political life in general, strive to get closer to the ideal of a democratic hero. Namely: get an education, understand your great tasks and get closer to the ideals and requirements that democracy places on
a mature citizen.

The responsibilities are two-sided: the moral level of a true democratic leader must correspond to the moral level of the mature masses of the people being led. They follow their real leader in the same way as those who are drawn by the power of his creativity into other spheres and kingdoms follow the creator-artist.

(Adapted from the book by E. Benes)

1) Make a plan for the text. To do this, highlight the main semantic fragments of the text and title each of them.

2) What characterization of the responsibilities of participants in public life in a democracy does the author give? How does he explain this characteristic?

3) What qualities (traits, properties), according to E. Benes, characterize a person who is ready and able to lead others and lead an organized society? Name any four of them.

4) Use specific examples to illustrate any three of the characteristics of a “democratic hero” given in the text.

5) Sergey owns a small company. He considers any participation in public life to be self-indulgence and a waste of time. He does not go to the polls, explaining that Sunday is the only day off he can afford. How can you explain Sergei’s position? Provide a piece of text that may help you answer the question.

6) The text provides three forms (models) of participation in public life. Choose the one that you think is most correct. Based on the text and social science knowledge, give two arguments (explanations) in defense of your position.

physical and spiritual abilities;

intelligence;

These qualities (traits, properties) can be given in other formulations that are similar in meaning.

4. To illustrate the characteristics of a “democratic hero” given in the text, the following examples can be given:

1. A good knowledge of the laws helps a citizen to participate in discussions, defending his rights.

   Interest in politics forces one to participate in the political life of the country and fight injustice.

   The ability to analyze the programs of various parties and leaders allows you to make the right choice.

The characteristics of a "democratic hero" can be illustrated by another example.

5. The correct answer must contain the following elements:

Explanation of the fact given in the task, for example: Sergei has no interest in public life, he is completely focused on his personal goals and problems. Another explanation for the fact given in the task may be given.

Fragment of the text: “there are many people who have no taste at all for participating in public life or do not have the inclination, need or opportunity to engage in public affairs, remain indifferent to them and deliberately want to isolate themselves from them in order to avoid the well-known unpleasant aspects of participation in public life "

6. The correct answer must contain the following elements:

One of the three given forms (models) of participation in public life.

Two arguments (explanations) in defense of your choice, for example:

in case of choosing the first form (model) (passive obedience or providing support to recognized authorities), it may be indicated that:

This position allows us to maintain stability in society to a greater extent.

If the second form (model) is chosen (consciously separating oneself from public affairs), it may be stated that:

there is a natural physical and spiritual inequality of abilities, intelligence and talent, therefore not all people can be leaders;

Everyone must do their job. If you do not have the ability to actively participate in public life, then do your job honestly, and let those who have the appropriate abilities engage in politics.

In case of choosing the third form (model) (management of an organized society), it may be indicated that:

if nature has endowed a person with abilities, talent and intelligence that allow him to lead social life, then such talents cannot be “buried in the ground”;

Only such a position contributes to the development of society and the improvement of people's lives.

Other arguments (explanations) may be given.